Salsa verde using fresh romaine lettuce is so simple and, well, obvious that I can’t believe I didn’t try this years ago. It’s in the arsenal of non recipe recipes now. Bright and tangy I ate this easy salsa verde on a few corn tortillas with melted sharp cheddar cheese but I can see it on sandwiches, enchiladas, as a dip for chips, or atop a grilled steak with just a bit of butter.
When you haven’t posted in a month the pressure is on to create something amazing but the absence has so long that I knew I could never live up to my own expectations. How do I respond? With lettuce. Lettuce salsa. Not even a planned sauce, this is what’s for lunch- because I have twenty heads of volunteer romaine lettuce in the garden and it’s the fifth of may and so there is a higher percentage of mexican foods already in the cupboard since that’s what’s on sale and that’s how I shop. And as always the struggle is between what’s real and what I want to project to the world and how much of the real bits anyone else will care about. I don’t lead the glamorous life, but I got love.
But the day-to-day is most of life right? Not the big party or the layer cake but a quick lunch of what’s on hand: lettuce, black coffee, lemonade. Growth, sitter, sweet.
Salsa Verde with Romaine Lettuce
ingredients
- 1 head of romaine lettuce (about three cups, roughly chopped and fairly densely packed)
- 1/2 avocado
- juice of one lime (or lemon, or use bottled)
- 1 tablespoon ACV
- 1-2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-3 cloves garlic
- 1-3 jalapeños, stems and some pith removed (more seeds and pith=more heat)
directions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade (add the lettuce a handful at a time, pulsing briefly to make more room) and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust for flavor as necessary.

Romaine Lettuce Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 head of romaine lettuce about three cups, roughly chopped and fairly densely packed
- 1/2 avocado
- juice of one lime or lemon, or use bottled
- 1 tablespoon ACV
- 1-2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-3 cloves garlic
- 1-3 jalapeños stems and some pith removed (more seeds and pith=more heat)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade (add the lettuce a handful at a time, pulsing briefly to make more room) and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust for flavor as necessary.
What is ACV????
Sorry, I’ve got a tendency to abbreviate unnecessarily. That would be apple cider vinegar.